Recipe: Beef and Plum Stir-Fry

Khalil shares his secret sauce...

By Khalil Hymore

I love plum sauce! Which is why, as a kid, I always ordered Mu Shu Pork at our local Chinese restaurant. I love that it's kind of sweet, kind of salty and makes everything taste better--kind of like Chinese food in general. I love stir it into barbecue sauce or mix it up with ketchup (I even like to dip potato chips into it!). So, after spending a lovely afternoon roaming around the markets in Chinatown with Ashley, I knew that I HAD to use my beloved plum sauce in a recipe.

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons less-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 pound beef sirloin, sliced into 1/8-inch strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 red plums, pitted and cut into thick wedges
1/4 cup plum sauce
2 scallions, chopped

Whisk 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sugar, and pepper together in a bowl. Add the sliced beef and mix well to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Heat the remaining vegetable oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef slices, spreading out in an even layer, and fry until cooked through, about 1 minute. Transfer to a beef to a bowl and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and the garlic to the frying pan. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the plum wedges and cook for 1 minute more. Return the beef back to the pan and stir in the plum sauce. Serve hot over steamed rice or lo mein noodles and garnish with chopped scallions.